Fighting Destiny
by Lysistrate
Summary: They were not supposed to meet, it was not their time, for them it was not yet meant to be. Meeting would only bring heartbreak and despair. But two souls which can only be whole together will do everything to fight destiny, no matter the pain and the heartbreak to simply be togehter, even if it is for just a moment, an hour or a day.
1. Chapter 1

1349

The city of Paris, which was usually filled with the lively laughter of a city growing in population and significance, was now a prison filled with death and fear. The Black Death had reached the city, hitting the population harder than anyone could have ever expected.

On the streets lay the dead and the dying, the latter still moaning from the excruciating pains they had to endure during their last minutes in this life, many of them begging the Lord or the few to pass by them to end their suffering.

But the few who did pass only increased their speed and did not spare one glance on the humans begging for their help. For the harsh truth was that no matter if you were friend or foe, no one truly cared anymore. Families abandoned their sick relatives as everyone was desperately trying not to fall ill to the devils' evil and simply stay alive.

The young girl walking in the shadows down the street, a child of only five, had already lost all of her family in the terrible plague and now had no one to care for her. No one dared to take her in, for they knew that either the child was going to get ill, or she had to be protected by the devil himself, otherwise why was she the only one of her family who had not fallen ill from the horror which had been sent by Satan himself?

The young child clutched the thin blanket she wore over her tattered dress as she kept away from the few people who dared to leave their homes and enter the streets as she pinned on her little legs into an ally, her bare feet making no sound at all. The nauseating smell oozing from the withering bodies in the summer heat, along with the waste from the houses around her, was something she could barley smell at all, her body having adapted to the fumes of this stinking hell long ago.

The young girl did not even cast a second glance at the dead bodies around her, she was already so used to death that sometimes she wondered if one could become immune to it and if this was what had happened to her.

Exiting the ally she came into an empty street, looking around as she moved as silently as she could over to one of the fine houses laying only a few feet down the street. Careful not to make a sound she slipped through the shadows until she reached the back door which lead to the kitchen and here she waited, remaining in the shadows. After a few minutes her worn face turned into a smile as the door crept open.

On her bare feet she ran over to the door to see the older boy who had come to show her mercy in these horrid times. The blond and blue eyed boy, whom to her appeared to be her very own angel, had offered her his help when he had seen her on the streets looking for food. In the beginning she had been wary of him, knowing how cruel fellow humans could be, but he had only kindly given her some spares, talking to her for a little while before telling her that if she wanted, he could help her.

After that day she had visited him two nights each week ever since and he always gave her a good meal in secret, his family not knowing he had taken the young child under his wings.

Now looking up at him where he stood in the doorway however she felt her heart stop in her chest for the boy looked worn, there was sweat on his forehead and she could see a black bubo on his neck. Feeling terrified she drew in a large breath as tears started to well in her eyes and she could see the boy in front of her look at her with pain, a reaction which turned into fear when she did not run away, but instead threw her thin and tiny arms around his legs.

With force the boy prayed her arms away from him and looked at her with a mixture of fear and anger, it was the same look her mother had given her when the girl had insisted of nursing her mother, the last member of her family, till her last breath.

"Petit what do you think you are doing?!" The boy shook her slightly as he spoke the words, his blue eyes full of anger. The tears streaming down her face however had nothing to do with fear of him, only fear for him.

"Monsieur you are ill, you cannot leave monsieur, you are far too good to leave." The boy looked as if he was about to cry, his blue eyes filling with tears of his own for knowing he would have to leave this already lonely child in a world which now held nothing but death and despair.

Why had he taken pity on her in the first place? There were many abandoned children in Paris, still it had been something about this child which had tucked at his heart and forced him to help her, to make sure she at least would have a chance of surviving.

Now he hated that decision, for he would now only cause her more suffering and pain, and most likely she would die because of him as well.

"You are not to be alone when you are ill monsieur, I will make you better." At the determined look in the child's eyes, he felt his heart break for this poor creature, but at the same time he felt amazed by this young child's faith and hope, so against his own mind he did not stop the child from entering his home.

The next morning the young girl left the house with new tears streaming down her face, the little food she was able to carry safe in her blanket. Before entering the ally she looked back at the house which for a short period had been her safe haven, but now was empty and cold, before she melted into the shadows once more, feeling her little heart break even more when thinking of the now dead young man, who had been so handsome in life, no longer being alive to be her golden angel.

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The first chapter of a few, leave a review and say what you think! Good, bad or both? ;)

/Lysistrate


	2. Chapter 2

**New chap! I will try to post every day now for a while.**

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1520

The wind was blowing with a small breeze over the open landscape and carried the sound of laughter and loud voices from the four riders who were coming down the road. All four of them were wearing heavy armour, but their helmets were hanging from their saddles and the carefree looks on their faces showed more clearly than anything that these knights were not on duty, at least not for the moment.

Three of the four knights had long brown hair and brown eyes, their skin had a deep brown colour from all of the hours they had spent in the sun. Two of them had a slightly smaller build than the third.

Then there was the fourth knight, different from the others, his hair blond and his eyes blue, he was taller than the others with a leaner and yet strong build and on his saddle the crest of one of the noble houses of the kingdom shone proudly in the sun.

"Come on Marcus" The biggest of the brown haired riders said, snickering "if you are going to swallow your tongue each time a beautiful lady walks pass you, you are never going to find a wife."

"I did not swallow my tongue as you say it Correc, I was merely surprised by her sudden presence that was all." Marcus said, a small blush forming on his cheeks as the bigger and older man started laughing loudly as the other brown haired man did his best to hold back his own laughter.

"Sure you were, that was why you stammered like an idiot when she said goodbye after having tried to talk to you three times." This caused a new round of laughter from the two older men as Marcus blushed even deeper.

"Correc, Ferre, leave the poor kid alone, if I do not remember incorrectly neither of you were big bold either men the first time you were advanced upon by a women." This came from the blond rider who rode a little ahead of the three other and it caused Marcus to laugh this time and the other two men to mutter something under their breaths.

"As if you were the picture of calm yourself the first time Enjolras." Correc muttered a little louder which caused the blonde man to turn around and give him an evil smile.

"Well I never said that I was did I? But I think I did quite well since the young lady blushed like a red rose."

"Oh come on Enj, we really does not need to know." Ferre shouted loudly as the man called Enjolras just laughed loudly, turning his focus forward again, his eyes landing on a small cottage a little farther down the road.

The small house was insignificant really, with the forest laying just a few feet behind it and a small piece of land in front of the main building where it grew something which from afar looked like wheat, still there was something about it which drew his attention.

"We should stay to water the horses." He heard himself say as soon as the thought entered his mind.

"But we just watered them a few hours ago Enj, and the king was very clear in his letter that we should reach the capital as fast as we possibly could." Ferre said, the two other men in their company looking as surprised as he felt for their leader was not one to rest often, in fact more often than not the three men had to force him to rest more than a few hours when they were on a mission.

"Indeed we did but there will be a few days before we reach any kind of civilization again and we should therefore allow the horses some kind of rest, even if it is just for a few minutes."

At his reasoning the three men had nothing to say, for was not this the reasoning they often used against their leader when he was unreasonable? So despite the small cottage laying in the wrong direction the four riders set it as their new goal.

When they reached their goal they saw that what had looked like a small cottage from afar instead was a small farm. Hens were running around picking the ground and pigs were digging around in the dirt. Just as they were about to call out to see if anyone was home, two small boys came running out from behind the main house, chasing each other.

Seeing the four men on the horses the two boys came to an abrupt stop as they stared at the four men with huge eyes.

"Are your parents' home children? We would like to water our horses and be on our way as fast as possible." Correc said with a soft tone, always having been the best with children. The two boys, who were pretty much identical and had to be twins, looked at each other before they simultaneously shook their heads.

"No, they have gone to the market." One of them said.

"But our sister is home." Said the other.

"Could you be kind to fetch her then?" Correc asked when the two children simply stood still and kept on staring at the four men. Once again the twins looked at each other and sending some silent message they both got a gleeful look in their eyes.

"We will." One of them said.

"But only if we can try one of your horses and see your swords."

"For God's sake this is absolutely ridiculous, we should..." Enjolras started saying but a look from Correc shut him up.

"You two fine gentlemen have a deal." Correc said instead, causing the two boys to lit up before they started running towards the stables, screaming for their sister whose name Enjolras did not hear since the boys were already behind the building.

"We were just to water the horses Correc, not stay and play with children." He said with a sigh as he gave a tiered look at his comrade in arms whom loved children.

"Come on Enj, you were the one who wanted to stay in the first place." Correc said with a smile as he dismounted his horse, Marcus and Ferre having already done so.

With a sigh Enjolras dismounted his horse as well and just as he had taken the rains in his hand the two boys came back behind the small stable, one of them dragging a huge working horse behind him while the other was dragging a young woman.

At the sight of her Enjolras felt something shift within him, she was tall and lean for a woman and there was dirt in her face from work. Still he found her to be strangely enchanting.

Black locks had escaped from their confinement under her cap and her dark brown eyes held such warmth and affection for the children dragging her forward that Enjolras for a moment felt a strange longing within, a longing to settle down, to see a woman look at children of his own like that, and it was a feeling that both shocked and scared him, for he had never in his whole life wanted a family, always simply seeing the bonds of matrimony and children as a confinement.

When the young woman's eyes landed on them however, the warmth which had been shining through them turned colder and she got a suspicious look in her eyes.

"How can I help you my lords?" She asked as she inspected them all closely, making Enjolras wonder how many who had come through this farm with less than honourable intentions.

"We would like to simply water our horses' mademoiselle. We have a long journey ahead of us and your farm is the only one we will pass in a few days." Enjolras said seeing how the young woman's eyes landed on his family's crest and her eyes narrowed.

"The king's men are always welcome to our home." Her words and tone were the perfect form of politeness, but Enjolras could still see how the walls in her eyes had risen further than before. The rest of his company however seemed oblivious to this. "Boys, fetch one bucket of water for each of the horses." She said.

"But we were going to be allowed to see the swords Eloide". The twin holding his sisters hand pleaded as she threw a fearful eye at the group before them.

"The king's men are very busy and I am certain they are in a hurry, you just fetch the water boys and do not bother them."

"It is fine mademoiselle, just show us the well and we will fetch the water ourselves, Correc promised the boys a ride on his stead." Marcus smiled at the woman named Eloide and after a small while she gave him a cautious nod as the two boys gave a cry of joy, running towards Correc who immediately took the small boys under his wings.

"Just follow me my lords." Eloide said where she stood with the huge horse before she turned and started walking away without waiting to see if any of them followed. Walking behind her, she led them to the side of the stable where she tied up her horse, and gestured for them to do the same, before grabbing a bucket and walking towards the edge of the forest.

Each of the young men took a bucket themselves and followed her, soon seeing the small well which was placed close to the edge of the forest.

With ease the young woman then sank the bucket down in the well before she started to pull it up again.

"Let me do that mademoiselle." Ferre said, halting in his step at the withering look he received.

"I can handle it just fine my lord."

"None of us doubt that you can mademoiselle, but my men so hardly do any form of normal labour that it is quite good for them to do so once in a while." Enjolras said, smiling when he heard Eloide huff angrily. Still she handed over her work to Ferre who looked at her with new respect.

"Do riders often pass through here mademoiselle?" Marcus asked to fill the small silence, looking a little uncomfortable at the look he got in return.

"Occasionally they do my lord." Eloide said her eyes turning a little softer as she saw the blush creeping up Marcus' cheeks under her gaze.

"Are your parents' often away mademoiselle?" Enjolras asked, waiting to be pierced by another of Eloide´s looks, but instead he saw her looking at him with curiosity.

"And what makes you think it is not my husband who is away my lord?"

"Because you have not corrected us when we have called you mademoiselle so I assumed you were not."

"Is that still not a very forward question for a nobleman to ask?" He could see the hint of a smile playing on her lips, which caused him to smile back.

"Not when said nobleman cares about the safety of the people." At his Eloide huffed once more, but he still caught a hint of amusement and mirth in her eyes before she had time to turn away. When she looked at him again her eyes were unreadable.

"If I could not take care of my brother and I my parents would not have left us alone, but only to ease your mind I can say that they rarely leave our farm in my hands alone." This put an end to the conversation as Ferre now had gotten up the last of the bucket from the well.

With a small sign from Enjolras, Ferre and Marcus took two buckets each, something which did not go unnoticed by Elodie who now threw a curios look at Enjolras before she started leading the three men back to their companion and their horses where the twins were now both sitting on Correc's stead, lighting up when they saw their sister approaching.

"Look Eloide, we are knights of the king!" They said as one, causing their sister to smile warmly at them.

"And fine knights you are, now you need to come down so the poor creature can rest." Pouting a little, the boys still jumped down from the horse before running over and taking one of the buckets over to their new friend who greedily drank the cold water.

"Perhaps you and your knights would like something to ease your thirst as well my lord?" Elodie suddenly asked as Enjolras looked at her surprised, he had not expected her to ask, and had not wanted to do ask her either.

"That would be very kind of you mademoiselle, if it would not be too much trouble."

"Trust me, any men who can handle my brothers deserve a reward." She laughed before telling her brothers she would soon come back before walking towards the main house, the twins simply throwing themselves at Correc again with Marcus now joining them.

"Quite the woman that girl, do you not think so Enjolras?" Ferre asked, having sneaked up next to his commander and friend in arms.

"And why do you ask me this?" Enjolras said raising an eyebrow at his closest friend.

"Just saying that men like us often have a hard time settling down with women from court for a reason." He said before joining the twins, Marcus and Correc, leaving Enjolras on his own as Elodie came out of the house, now carrying a small basket as she walked over to where Enjolras was standing.

"Take this, it contains some appels and three loaves of bread which you can have on your journey to the capital."

"How did you..." Enjolras began asking but got silenced by the pointed look he received.

"I may be a farmers' child my lord, but I am not stupid. Knights who travel this way only go in one direction. Now take this, there is some ale in there as well."

"Thank you mademoiselle, for this gift and for your hospitality."

"It is I who should thank you my lord, for asking for it and not taking it, and also because my brothers now probably will sleep a full night." At this she looked over to where the boys were now carefully inspecting Correc's and Marcus' swords with faces filled with awe, faces which turned into disappointment when Enjolras had packed the food into the saddle bags and called for his men it was time to leave.

Soon all of them were ready to mount their horses and the two boys were saying goodbye to Correc, inviting him back if he was ever to pass through again.

Elodie stood watching her brothers when Enjolras led his horse up to her side.

"If they ever wish to search for a position with the king, just send a letter with them to me and I promise I shall put in a word for them." He said, knowing the boys probably would forget about them the moment they left.

"I will do that, thank you my lord." Elodie said with a smile, knowing that her brothers were destined to take over the farm, but knowing the weight of the offer still.

"I wish you good luck on your journey." She suddenly said just as Enjolras was about to mount his horse, now instead turning towards the young woman whose eyes still seemed to bewitch him and drag him in.

"Thank you… my lady." He said not caring about the rules for society as he took her hand and gave it a light kiss. As he touched her, he felt his heart speed up and how he for a moment wanted nothing more than to stay here, where he forever could drown in deep pools of brown and let his hands comb through raven black hair.

Then the spell was broken as the twins rushed to their sister's side, oblivious to the tension in the air and their sisters now rosy cheeks as they both spoke at the same time. Before he was caught again in her spell, Enjolras mounted his horse, thanked Eloide again and rode out from the farm with his friends in tow, the three men back to their normal bickering.

Enjolras however still felt his heart racing and how his mind was blank on everything except of the picture of Elodie, and turning back he saw her standing with her brothers, looking after him as well.

Using all of his self-control, Enjolras managed to turn away from the woman who had stolen his heart in mere minutes with her independent ways and warm smiles. And as the years past he would never forget about her and no woman, not even the one who he in the end was forced to marry to make sure his line survived, ever replaced her in his heart.

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**Leave a review and tell me what you thought! **


	3. Chapter 3

**The FanFiction website have been running mad the last couple of days and I think this story have not been visible, but as I hope it will change, I will still keep on posting.**

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1630's

The young woman closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath of sea air, feeling her foggy mind clear as the horrid smell of another night under deck with the other passengers washed away. The moon was still up and the stars shone brightly in the sky, for she had escaped the confinement under deck as early as she could this last day she would spend on the vast sea.

They had been on sea now for weeks and the stench under deck had just become more and more unbearable the longer the journey took, but the day before the Capitan had promised that this would be the day when they would finally reach harbour and the new world.

She had to admit that even though she had hated the idea of leaving Paris behind, she was now very curious about what this new land would bring, the hopefulness of the other passengers and her own parents' dreams for a better life had somehow spread and become a part of her as well.

Still she was perhaps not as happy to leave the ship as many of the others. During the journey it had become her home while the ocean, which rocked the ship slowly back and forth on its waves, had become her cradle.

Her time spent on the ocean had taught her how much she loved to see the red sun rise in the morning, its reflection on the water turning it into a dark mirror against the colourful sky, only for the water to resume its dark blue colour once the sky again turned blue, causing the horizon to disappear once more. She had learned that she loved the smell of the salt water and the wind flowing around her, the same wind which caused the waves of the ocean to grow and the night sky to more often than not shine with thousands of stars.

"The captain says we are to reach shore this afternoon mademoiselle." The soft tenor voice caused her to jump in fright for she had not heard anyone approaching, but her face soon turned into a smile as warmth spread within her and she turned around to look at the other reason why she did not want to leave the sea and this ship.

The man standing behind her was sure a sight to behold, so thought all the women on the ship. His honey blond hair and his dark blue eyes, the same colour as the ocean, were full of life and reflected beautifully in the light of the full moon, giving him an almost unearthly glow as it turned his hair white as he looked at her.

His skin was darkened by all the hours spent in the sun, his handsome face already showing the familiar signs of a man who spent most of his time in harsh weather and burning sunlight by the crinkles which appeared by his eyes when he smiled. His hands she knew were gentle and soft, even if they were full of small scrapes and had been hardened by his hard and heavy work.

Now he walked up to her and stood next to her, looking down at her with that small smile which always made her smile back. Still she could see that today his smile did not reach his eyes, instead there was a sadness in them which she was sure was reflected in her own.

"I cannot believe this journey soon will end." She said looking out over the sea once more, closing her eyes as the ocean breeze caressed her face.

"Just a part of your journey ends mademoiselle, once you go ashore in the new world it will continue."

"Will I see you in town before you leave monsieur?" She could not help the hopefulness which crept into her voice, for she truly hoped this would not be the last time she would see him.

"I am afraid not, we are readying the ship this afternoon and are leaving early in the morning."

"I see." She felt the disappointment spreading inside of her and the sad look which she was given told her that her friend felt the same.

For they had become friends during this journey, after two days at sea she had accidently run into him as she was exploring the deck. She had knocked him over and he had accidently dropped a bucket of tar on her dress. After both having yelled at each other for not watching their step, they had both apologized to each other before they had parted. After that it had almost been ridiculous how often they had run into each other one way or another over the course of the next few days. It had almost been as if they had been drawn to the same places and soon a friendship had blossomed between them as easy as the winds caressed the sails.

During the weeks that went by however, they had both known that they soon would have to part, and that perhaps friendship no longer was the sole feelings they shared, but neither of them had wanted to give in to those thoughts, arguing with themselves that it was still weeks and days left on their journey to figure themselves out.

But now in this moment, they both knew that they were soon to be separated and both felt the pain of knowing that they were never to see the other again.

Now both also felt that something needed to be said to the other, but neither knew what they needed to say, so instead they stood in the usual comfortable silence they always shared.

Standing by the railing in the moonlight, the young woman leaning on the railing and the man standing beside her sure was a sight to behold, her black hair and white skin a great contrast to his hair which was white and his skin which had been kissed by the sun. After a while the cold wind made the young woman shudder a little and the man put his arm around her shoulder, making her lean into him as she released a small sigh of content.

"We see the city now captain." The cry from the outpost echoed through the early morning.

"Well wake up than you bastards and get her ready for shore!" The captain screamed, which caused the ship to come to life. Workers started making the ship ready for harbour and the passengers which had risen early and was up on deck started laughing and talking excitingly as they rushed to the railing on the other side of the ship, trying to see what the outpost had seen in the horizon.

The young man and woman who had been alone until now, shared one look before the young man took the hand of the young woman and led her away from the railing to a small hidden area where the cries of the passengers and workers alike was not heard. Only the sound of the ship flying over the ocean was.

Once alone the young man wrapped his arms around the young woman, both of them finding comfort in the warmth of the other, the feeling of fitting together like to pieces of a puzzle too strong to be ignored, for everything in that moment simply felt right.

"Come with me ashore, leave this, start a new life in the new world." She whispered in his ear. It was the first time she voiced the thoughts which had swirling in her mind for the past few days.

"You know I cannot, no matter how much I want to, I have a family in France." At his words he increased his hold on her, and she did her best not to cry. She knew he was married, she knew his wife was expecting, but she also knew he did not_ love_ his wife. His marriage had been arranged to increase his family's wealth and even though his wife, Colette, was everything a man could ask for in a women there simply was no passion or love in their relationship, only friendship.

Drawing back a little he placed a hand on her cheek and she leaned into his touch, looking up into his eyes which were so full of pain it made her heart break even more, for in this moment she shared his pain fully.

"Why did God arrange for me to find you now, why not before? What crime have we committed to find peace and joy only for it to be ripped away?" He asked her.

"The time for us to meet must have simply been wrong and perhaps meeting now is only to strengthen us." She said, fighting the tears in her throat, but at the same time somehow knowing her words were true.

"Is it wrong for me to ask…" He said leaning closer to her, their breaths mingling.

"To ask for what?" She could barely get the words out, her breathing weak and her body burning.

"To ask for a memory my dearest." His lips were nearly touching hers and her mind was foggy, still she managed to get the burning word out.

"Yes." At her answer she suddenly felt the cold surround her once more as the man her soul longed for backed away, his face in his hands and a distressed look on his face.

"You are right, I am married and I could not be untrue to my wife." He said as he looked at her with sorrow before taking her hand in his once more. "Know I will never forget you." He said before giving her hand a small kiss and turned to walk away.

In her chest the woman suddenly felt the panic raising, as if she knew that if she did not speak now this would be their final goodbye for it was almost as if something similar had happened once before in a dream and she now felt that this goodbye was not enough.

"Did not Apollo fall in love with Eurynom when he met her at sea and when they were forced to part, he gave her a final kiss for her to remember him by?"

With a smile the man once more cupped her cheek, his eyes bright fires which drew her in and almost consumed her.

"I have never heard of that story in the Greek mythology before, but who am I to question a fine lady who have had the time to fill her mind with knowledge of the past?"

"None, besides some stories are yet to be written." She breathed out before his lips carefully caressed her own. Gently his arms wrapped around her waist and her hands came to rest around his neck as she sighed into the kiss. She had never been kissed before and let him take the lead, his lips carefully moving with her own and urging her on. For a moment they allowed time to disappear, to taste this small piece of heaven as their lips moved together, the fire in their souls threatening to consume them.

Then the moment was over and as they drew back they both had tears in their eyes. Before the pain would make the inevitable impossible, her Apollo lightly kissed her forehead before he disappeared from her side as she felt how the tears started to fall from her eyes and she felt how the sun rose over the horizon to warm her with its heat now when her personal sun had left her. Somehow this made her smile despite her tears, knowing her Apollo was going to warm her even if he was gone.

When she later walked ashore, she saw him watching her and she could see that his heart was breaking just as hers. When she put her feet on solid ground for the first time in weeks, she was happy that they had never given each other their Christian names, for that was what made it possible for her to tell herself that all she had felt was nothing but a story, a story of a god and a nymph that had met at sea and which had been told for generations.

And many years later, two children in the new world and four children in France were often told their favourite story, the story of how the sun god Apollo and the Oceanid Eurynom met far out at sea and fell in love.

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**Leave a review! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**New chap and we have reached the revolution!**

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1832, June

The silence that was slowly spreading over the barricade was almost more suffocating then the sounds of guns and screams which had been heard just a minute before. Now the only thing that was heard was the rain which kept pouring down, hitting the pavement as it kept on drenching all of the young students, the revolutionaries, into their very skin.

Still the rain was not what was on the young students' minds, their focus was elsewhere.

More precisely it was on their friend Marius who was kneeling on the ground, holding the small fragile body of his shadow in his arms as the girl was drawing her last breaths, her chest heaving fast as the blood kept on pouring out from the wound in her stomach, colouring the pavement red as the blood mixed with the rain and never had the colour of this revolution felt more horrid then now.

Enjolras, the firm and constantly ongoing leader of the revolution, was watching the scene which took place in front of him with a face showing both pain and compassion as he saw the girl say something to his friend who had tears in his eyes, Marius whispering something back to her which caused her to smile.

Then Enjolras just knew that the girl was gone, he knew it even before Marius pressed a small kiss to the girl's forehead and cradled her body against his chest, rocking her back and forth in his arms. Enjolras knew because when he saw the girl's chest still, the world around him suddenly felt colder and emptier, but also because he felt strangely lost, his determination to fight for Patria suddenly faltering a little, for was it not for the poor and the miserable like this girl that he had started this revolution in the first place?

He did not know why all of these feelings suddenly washed over him, for he had known that sacrifices would have to be made. Perhaps it was because this girl had been the only true manifestation of the people whom was the biggest reason for this revolution? Or perhaps was it for the fact that she was the first to have fallen because of it when she should have been save?

And that she had fallen because of _him_.

Fighting down his racing thoughts, Enjolras moved over to Marius and placed a hand on his friends shoulder.

"She was not supposed to be here, why was she here?" His friend whispered the question which made Enjolras feel a surge of spite towards him, how could the man be so oblivious even when the girl had sacrificed her life to save his? How could he not see that she had loved him?

"Jolly, Combeferre, take Marius inside." Enjolras said, his two friends giving him a small nod before taking their mutal friend into the café. "The rest of you make sure the barricade is secured and ready for the next attack, let not this death we have all just witnessed have been in vain!"

His fellow comrades all cheered at his words as Enjolras bent down to pick up the girl in his arms and move her away. She felt extremely light in his hold, to light, and to his confusion her limp body, which seemed to fit so well in his arms, caused only the emptiness and sorrow he felt in his heart to grow, making it a little harder for him to breathe as a pressure settled over his heart.

Staring down at her face, he suddenly wished for nothing more than that she would open her eyes.

The girl, he was desperately trying to remember her name, was not very beautiful and thinking back she never had been. He could see that she once had had the potential of being so, but the harsh life she had lived had made her face tired and aged before her years. Her skin was like yellow parchment and years of starving had made her cheeks sunken. Her eyes seemed almost too big for her face and he could see an old scar on her right cheek under the dirt.

Her black hair, which had been hidden under the cap before she wore before she was shot, was nothing more than a mess of knots and had almost a greyish tone. But it was thick despite the harsh life she had lived.

Putting down her body on the ground, Enjolras sat down beside her, for he could not leave her, not just yet when she looked so small. Instead he stared down at the girl who looked troubled even in death and it bothered him that it seemed as if she had not found peace even in the afterlife, especially since she had seemed happy her last moment from whatever Marius had said.

_Marius did not deserve you._ The angry and hateful thought surprised even himself, but he could feel that deep inside he found that he thought the thought to be true.

As he looked down at the girl now, it surprised him that he had never spared her a second glance before. Of course he had known she was often around the café, after all they had all known since everyone also had been painfully aware of her affections for their friend Marius, except Marius, but he had never spoken to her or sent her any thought.

So why did she draw his interest now? Was it because she had so bravely sacrificed herself and become the martyr this revolution needed? Or was it simply because he had been so engrossed with the revolution that he had missed her?

Still as he thought back, he found that she was in all of his memories, a shadow in the dark for sure, but as he thought back now he could see how she had spent time with R drinking a beer, how she had cared for Gavroche more than a stranger would have and how she had sat in the back of the room, staring intently at him with dark brown eyes as he held his speeches.

_Perhaps were you not invisible to me after all, I did not just know how much you were there before you were gone. _Hating his own ignorance, Enjolras felt the pressure over his heart and chest increase, becoming almost unbearable.

Why had he not seen her before, why had he not paid her any attention? Why?

Feeling a need to do something more for her, even though she was dead, Enjolras, took her hands and placed them on her chest, another sting going through his heart as he saw the hole through her hand, the hand that the bullet had pierced before taking her life.

With care he placed her other hand above her damaged one, making sure that the evidence of how she had died was hidden. Then he carefully stroked her cheek, her skin ice-cold under his fingers but still soft, making him wonder how it would have felt to stroke her cheek had it still been warm. Would she have blushed or would she have pushed him away, her brown eyes two burning flames?

Overall she now looked to be more asleep than before, but still he did not find her to seem at peace, and it troubled him greatly. As he stared down at her face, he felt as if something was trying to fight its way forward in his mind, almost like a memory he had forgotten, but at the same time not.

Small bits and pieces of a young child hiding in the dark flashed for a moment before his eyes, of people lying on the streets and then two determined but glowing brown eyes in a tear streaked face which held deep sorrow. But wherever the pictures came from, for he could not recall them as memories, they disappeared again as fast as they came.

"I do sincerely hope we can create a better life for your people mademoiselle." He said staring down at the girl for a while longer, placing his now bloody hands over hers, willing the uneasy expression on her face to go away, but it still remained painfully in place.

Acting on instinct he then allowed one of his hands to brush her dirty hair out of her face before he leaned forward and lightly kissed both of her cheeks as an emptiness started to spread in his heart.

_How many more will we lose? _He thought as he stared down at the girl. Then right before he rose to leave, Enjolras remembered her name.

"Eponiné." He whispered. It was not a very common name but it fit her well nevertheless. Placing his hand on her cheek one last time, Enjolras finally rose, feeling as if a piece of him and his conviction stayed with Eponiné in that ally.

When he later was to face his own death, Enjolras was still the strongest believer in the revolution, he still believed he was doing the right thing when he rose the flag and refused to bow down in front of his executioners. But as he died it was not Patria for whom he died, not even the people on the streets, it was for the girl who was laying in the ally, the girl whose name he had once forgotten but now was carved in his heart.

The girl whom he had not known was his true inspiration until she was beyond his reach and only in the eye of death did he know the truth for the first time;

It had all been for Eponiné.

* * *

**So what do you think, are finally some of thier shared past starting to shine through? Or was it simply a memory from his life in this time?  
Leave a review and tell me what you thought! **


	5. Chapter 5

1944

"Cornelia I need your help over here right now!" The dark haired nurse screamed after her best friend who was a little further down the crowded hall helping a wounded soldier who was laying on the ground screaming in pain, screams which were only drowned from the moans and screams from all the other dying and wounded men laying in the broken church as the sun shone in through a shattered window.

The sunshine was a piece of twisted beauty in the horror which surrounded her as she tried to turn out all of the soldier's begging her for help, screaming for their mothers… or begging for the mercy of death.

The man before the nurse was fighting for breath as she was examining the wound after a grenade which had nearly ripped his right leg off. With dreed she saw that the bone was in two and that the only reason the leg was still intact was for the fact the muscles had not been completely torn off, but it was not this that made her heart sink.

It was the dark red strings which had started to trail up from the wound and could only be one thing: blood poisoning.

"What do you need Ep?" Her blond haired friend asked her as she kneeled beside Epona, not showing the slightest of reaction to the young man's state as she too examined what was left of the young man's leg, cursing under her breath as she also saw the red strings.

"I need to cut off his leg, otherwise he has no chance of survival in this bloody heat nor do we have any chance in hell to treat blood poisoning without antibiotics!" Epona said.

"Remind me to kill those bastards who should have delivered our new supplies three days ago." Cornelia said as she hurriedly drew up a white sheet around the bed to hide the young man from the others, the sheet shielding most of his body but not his head.

"Don't worry, I will be there right next to you ready to take them down! Now I need you to give him 5 milligrams of morphine and make sure to hold him down." Epona said as the young man on the ground started to understand what was going to happen, looking fearfully between the two nurses.

"No you can't take my leg." The man started pleading on the floor as Cornelia injected the dose of morphine into his system and moved behind him to hold him down by his shoulders.

"I am sorry but if I don't you'll die, now hold as still as you can, it will hurt as hell but it will soon be over." Epona said as tried to sound calm despite knowing dozens of men still needed her care, men who could be saved if she only came to them before it was too late.

But the man under Epona's care went into panic and started thrashing around on the bed, screaming as loudly as he could that they could not take his leg, making it impossible for her to even get close to him.

To Epona and Cornelia his behaviour would have made them both feel sympathy in the beginning, but war had hardened them as for nearly five years countless of bodies had passed through them, all carrying injuries more terrible than the last. The men who had left an impression on them in the beginning were now lost among the countless of faces who now all looked the same in their memories.

"For God's sake Cornelia just knock him out." Epona told her friend, knowing they would not manage to calm the panicked man before them. But before Cornelia had the time to give the man on the floor the dose of morphine that would knock him out, three soldiers appeared next to them.

All three men were dirty with dried blood on their clothes and in their faces. All of them had smaller injuries which needed to be tented to, but none of them seemed to be critical. Epona was just about to tell them all to leave when she saw that all of them were looking down at the man on the old bed with relief.

The soldier with blond hair, which was nearly brown from all the dirt, kneeled down next to the man on the floor.

"Martin you lucky bastard you survived the explosion." His voice was smooth and held obvious relief as the man on the floor seemed to calm down for a moment, staring at the blond with wide eyes.

"Enjolras, they want to cut my leg off, you need to stop them, they want to cut my leg off, and you cannot let them cut it off, they cannot cut it off. I need my legs Enjolras, they cannot…" The man named Martin started rambling as he gripped the others arm.

The man named Enjolras turned his eyes towards his friend's leg and Epona saw how he paled a little before his eyes found hers, blue eyes staring into brown.

"He will die if I don't cut it off, either you can help or you can leave." Was all she said and the man before her looked at her for a moment longer, before he gave a small nod to the other two men standing behind him and they both laid their weapons down on the floor.

"How can we help?"

"Hold him down and as still as you can, one of you hold his leg for me, Cornelia, you hold his head and make sure he does not bite his tongue off." Epona said as the two men placed themselves so they could hold down Martin's body as the blond Enjolras took a firm hold of his leg.

"Now hold him still, if he is lucky, the pain will knock him out." Epona said over Martins' cries on the floor. Taking a firm hold of the saw, she looked into blue eyes one more time before she braced herself and the sound of sawing through bones and the agonising cries of the man before her filled her ears.

* * *

Red is blood.

Blood is red.

Red and blood.

Red seemed to be the colour which now filled her world.

Red and blood.

Red was the colour the water gained as Epona washed the blood off her hands outside of the church, trying to wash away the horrors of the day. After a while she stopped scrubbing her hands and washed her face before she walked to the back of the church and laid her head against the cool stone, trying to calm her beating heart.

Long ago, when she was still a fresh nurse and the war was still new she had had a purpose, she had wanted her country to win the war and by heling the wounded by the front she would help achieve it.

How naïve and stupid she had been.

After the first real wave of wounded men had come she had worked for over 24 hours straight believing that she was making a difference.

The first time a man had come in with his gut hanging outside his body she had emptied her stomach and nearly fainted at the sight and she had believed she would never see anything more horrifying. She had been wrong.

The first time she had lost a patient she had cried and prayed for his soul. Now she no longer even prayed for herself.

The first time one of the men she had cared for had come back wounded once more just to die as she tried to save him a second time she had lost all faith in that the war would bring something better, for in truth it was just an endless line of darkness of killing, blood and pain.

_How can humanity do this to itself?_ How many times had she not asked herself that one question?

"Will he live?" The voice behind her made her turn around in fright but as she saw the blond man from before she let out a sigh of relief and calmed her racing heart as she had to search her mind for whom he could be talking about, the soldiers nowadays only a mash of faces in her mind, when the man she had taken the leg from came to her.

"If the wound do not get infected once more he will." She said.

"You saved him then." At this she scoffed.

"I gave him a chance, he might still die."

"Still he would not have had a chance if it wasn't for you." At his words she simply nodded her head as she took the time to look at him. He had gotten a chance to wash the blood from his face and his blonde hair looked a little lighter. He was handsome, but she could see that the years of war had left a mark on him. He held the haunted look all the soldiers shared.

Then she saw the poorly made bandage on his arm.

"Who made that?" She asked and the man looked down towards the bandage as if he had forgotten it was even there.

"I did actually, I could not take up your time when there were others who needed you more than I." At his words Epona looked at him with tiered eyes, hoping he had not made more of a mess than if he had just gone to one of them directly.

"Well I am not busy now and you have done a fucking dreadful job. Follow me." At her words the soldier before her just gave a small smile, but did not say anything about her bad mood as he followed her to the outside of the camp to where Epona lived in a small tent she shared with Cornelia and two other nurses.

Pointing towards a small bench which was placed outside the tent and telling the man to sit down, she walked inside to gather some bandages, clean water, a needle, thread and a candle before walking outside again.

"How long have you served?" She asked as she started to take off the poorly made bandage and examine the wound. She did not know why she asked, a long time ago she had stooped asking the soldiers any personal questions. It was easier not to get close to anyone if you wanted to survive.

"Since the war started, I was one of those who believed in change and was stupid enough to volunteer. And you?" He asked as she could feel his eyes following her as she examined him.

"The same."

"So you were also one of the crazy ones then?" At his words she could not help the small smile which appeared.

"Well I would say it is crazier to want to go out in battle and risk your life every day then wanting to help those who need it."

"Can't argue with you the…" His words were cut off with a hiss as she poured the whiskey she had also gathered from the tent over his wound.

"Don't be so squeamish, this is high quality whiskey all the way from Scotland and trust me when I say this will clear your wound better than most of the things we have back at the base." The whiskey was actually the reason she had brought him here, knowing that there was nothing but water to clean the wounds with back at the church.

"And here I thought you simply wanted me alone." At his words she pressed down the small cloth she was holding over his wound a little harder, causing him to swerve loudly from the pain.

"You can always dream mister." She said as she finally took the cloth away and lighted the candle before threading the needle and holding it into the flame. "Do you need something to dull the pain or should I just stich you up?"

"Just stich it." He said as he looked away from the wound on his arm. She saw how he was biting down hard as she held his skin together and started stitching.

"So what did you do before all this?" She asked to take his mind of the pain she knew he had to be experiencing, she had stitched herself up a few times and it was not a pleasant experience.

"I was studying politics actually, I had just finished law school but wanted to keep on studying as I started to work.

"Sounds busy." At her words he gave a sad smile.

"It was. Now I kind of wish I had lived more, not believing I had all the time in the world. And you?"

For a moment Epona did not know if she should answer him, she did not like sharing things about her life, but then again this man was sharing his with her and she was probably never going to see him again.

"I was fresh out of school when the war began. I believed I could change the world and wanted real life experience. At least I have gotten that, more than I wanted to even." She said as she started to bandage the man up once more.

"In a way your job is worse than ours, most of our victims we never see. They are just shadows in the distance. But you see it all, you even see and help those who are innocent in all this." He was looking down at her with respect shining in his blue eyes as she started to pack away everything which she had used not saying anything. For how could she tell him of the darkness which was eating her up and how much the war truly affected her.

"You are all ready to go now, just make sure to switch the bandages once more before you leave." She was ready to get up when a hand on her arm stopped her. She was about to bite the man off but before she had time he spoke.

"How do you manage to survive, seeing all this?"

"How do you?" She countered, not answering.

"I think of the time before the war and the people I meet like you who make a difference, who shows there is still goodness in the world."

"I am not goodness." She hissed as she ripped her arm from his grip. "Do you know how many men who have did under my care? How many I never even have had the time to save or how many I have deemed able to wait and who then have did from internal injuries?" The words were for some reason pouring out and she had no chance to stop them.

"You ask me how I manage to survive? All of us only survive from shutting down our emotions, to not allow ourselves to care! We only do what must be done or else we would all be falling apart."

"But you do care, otherwise you would not be here, otherwise you would not have saved Martin and you would not just have tended to my arm." At his words she had no reply, for what he said was true even if she didn't want it to be.

"Would you like to switch? You can get my uniform right this second if you want it." She said as she stared down at him.

"I don't think the size would fit me very well." At his words she could not help the small smile, nor the feeling of how her anger disappeared as she sat down next to him once more. Picking up a package of cigarettes, offering him one before lighting them both and handing him his.

"So what are those happy thoughts of yours then?" She asked after having drawn the smoke down her lungs, not caring about the fact that it was dangerous, she could die any day anyway.

"They are of the simple things, of how to laugh with your friends, how to wake up without feeling fear. How to feel at peace and how the sun would set over the ocean where I grew up. Of the children playing in the streets."

"Those are good things to think about." She said and he nodded a little.

"They are what keeps me grounded and makes me remember that even though we experience loss and pain, that's what we are fighting for. The rights to our land, the right to be free and the right to live in peace."

Hearing his words Epona looked at him once more, for they had stirred something within her, something she had not felt in a long time. It was the feeling that perhaps there really existed a meaning, a goal to all of this.

Perhaps there was still something which could be won from this war and all of its suffering?

"How do you keep on to the faith that we can win that?" She asked as she felt lost in his blue eyes which was staring into her own.

"I think of what was and of what I want the world to be, what it should be." Slowly, almost as if he was debating with himself if he should, he reached a hand forward and stroked the hair which had fallen from her braid behind her ear. "I think of the future generations which deserve better and my faith stays alive by seeing the beauty which is stronger than this war and will not be destroyed by it."

For a moment longer he looked into her eyes before starting to turn away, but before he could, Epona had already leaned forward, capturing his lips with her own. For a moment he did not respond, but then carefully his arms found their way around her waist and drew her onto his lap as he responded to her kiss.

Inside Epona felt how a low humming was spreading through her, making her body shiver from the warmth which was spreading through her limbs as the kiss turned more heated and her hands found their way beneath the man's shirt, exploring his hard chest as he tightened his hold around her, causing her to moan loudly, not that she cared.

For somehow this man had given her something this night, he had awoken something within her and she could feel how the connection she had felt with him all night now only grew stronger.

Moving to place kisses down her neck his warm breath came in ragged breaths like her own as they both tried to catch their breaths. When he suddenly sucked a little on an especially sensitive spot on her neck, which had taken her fiancé months to find, she could not help to wonder if he felt like her, if she this night was an anchor to his sanity just as he was to hers.

For as he started to lift her skirts up over her legs she did not argue, instead she urged him on as her hands eagerly undid his trousers, and when he lifted her so they could become one, she only felt how a hole in her was filled as she buried her head in his neck and her hair came loose from its confinement as they moved as one in the night. Their panting breaths sometimes silenced as they shared kisses and words of secrecy.

And she realised she did not want to leave this small piece of heaven that she had just found so together they snuck into the forest when they once again could walk, escaping the dark world behind them for a few more hours and losing themselves in each other and in the world of light and hope they had created as they talked about a wonderful future none of them knew could be true and joined together to feel complete in a way neither had done before.

But as the sun rose, reality came with responsibilities, goodbyes and the pain of separation. Before they parted, Epona promised Enjolras that she would look after his friend and as her soldier walked out of the camp to once again go to war, she got ready to follow the wounded who was going to be moved farther away from the front, trying to not think of her aching heart which now feared for the blonde soldier she had just met.

However she was to see him again, even if it was only for a moment, for as she left the camp in one of the buses which was going to take them to their new location, it drove past his company and she saw a few locks of golden hair. Suddenly however the bus before them flew into the air by an explosion. In a split second her mind had time to understand that the enemy had planted out mines on the road and that she would not have been there had it not been for the promise she had made.

But then the world exploded in a blinding light and everything went black.


End file.
